ECOLOGY OF A CRACKER CHILDHOOD The World as Home

With a gentle, nostalgic tone, a Southern accent, and heartfelt descriptions, Janisse Ray reads her essays on growing up in her family's South Georgia junkyard. The mythical story she was told of her arrival as the second-born, the sheep her father raised, and trips into the one-light town are all recalled fondly. There's also the more somber story of her grandpa's mental illness. She intersperses the memories of a strict childhood among junked cars with reflections on nature. As Ray discusses a favorite pine tree or the birds in the junkyard, she mourns the declining forests. Ray's love of language and her childhood home enchant while making a case for a region's ecological restoration. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2016]